Cultivation Shura Field

Shen Lan was stunned: "Indeed... uh, but it tastes good like this."

"If you have any requests, just tell me earlier. It's such a simple thing!"

Xu Zhe put down his chopsticks and went back to the kitchen.

Shen Lan also hurriedly chased after him. But before she could persuade him not to bother, Xu Zhe had already started.

He did not cook another dish. Instead, he poured some oil into the pot, heated it up, put in some dried red chilies and Sichuan peppercorns, turned to low heat, and started stir-frying.

Soon, when the red color of the peppers turned into a darker reddish brown, he turned off the heat, poured out the peppers and peppercorns along with the base oil, and chopped them up with a clean kitchen knife.

Xu Zhe was very efficient and completed the whole process within a few minutes.

Shen Lan asked curiously: "What is this? Chopped pepper?"

Xu Zhe shook his head: "Chopped pepper is another thing, it needs to be fermented, and the ingredients are much more complicated. What I'm making now is knife-edge pepper, a common method used in Sichuan cuisine to increase the flavor and spiciness."

Shen Lan showed surprise on her face and subconsciously asked, "Why are you so familiar with Sichuan cuisine?"

Xu Zhe: "I just like this little trick that is simple in process but has good results. OK, you can try using this as a dipping sauce."

The two returned to the dining table. In front of Shen Lan, there was a plate of scalloped chili peppers.

The hot aroma alone made the girl's appetite growl. She swallowed several times while picking up the food and dipping it in chili peppers.

Then, she put the tofu covered with chili peppers and chili oil into her mouth. As she chewed it, Shen Lan couldn't help squinting her eyes, revealing an unprecedented expression of happiness.

“Mmmmm…it’s so delicious!”

Seeing her reaction, Xu Zhe also smiled, just like any normal chef would react when receiving praise from a customer.

However, Zeng Jing did not laugh.

This little girl named Shen Lan did not take the initiative to ask, but her son took the initiative to ask and satisfy her with additional services. What does this mean? How important is Shen Lan in her son's mind?

Zeng Jing didn't remember her son ever providing her with such service.

Originally, if my son really likes someone when they are talking about marriage in the future, as parents, we can compromise. But if my son is too attentive and caring, then as a mother, I can't stand it.

If you give too much and put too much effort into it, you will easily be played around by beautiful women!

Zeng Jing's vigilance grew.

After the initial surprise of the taste, Shen Lan quickly came to her senses and glanced at Zeng Jing, only to see that her aunt was staring at her with a meaningful look.

The girl was secretly shocked. It seemed that her aunt was even more dissatisfied with her?

She could only complain secretly - her aunt couldn't see when she took the initiative towards Xu Zhe, and all she saw was when Xu Zhe took care of her. Isn't this a bit unfair?

Besides, it wasn't even her suggestion that the food wasn't spicy enough; it was Chef Xu's own idea!

Shen Lan's first reaction was to share the dish of knife-edge chili with her aunt. But then she realized that this small dish was placed in front of her as a dipping sauce and had already been used. It would be rude to let the elders taste it, right?

Nothing is right, there is no way - thinking of this, Shen Lan couldn't help but sigh softly.

Xu Zhe: "Any other questions?"

Shen Lan: "No problem, I just feel a little regretful."

Xu Zhe: "What's the regret?"

Shen Lan: "Why am I already sixteen or seventeen years old and have never eaten such delicious food?"

Xu Zhe was a little embarrassed: "You are exaggerating..."

Shen Lan stole another glance at Zeng Jing.

I saw my aunt frowning slightly, and her eyes seemed to become deeper.

What does it mean? Would praising Xu Zhe be seen as having ulterior motives? Or did my words just now reveal some kind of intention?

Shen Lan's headache became worse and worse.

She had never cared so much about other people's opinions before. She felt that there was not much to say about teachers or classmates. Because most of those people were more mediocre than herself, so why let the opinions of mediocre people restrict her?

But now, since I care about Xu Zhe, it is impossible not to care about his mother.

Aunt Zeng Jing is like a big boss, and her health bar is not even visible, making it hard to know where to start...

Xu Zhe didn't notice the subtle looks and reactions of the two women, he was just busy eating. Although he didn't exercise outside today, he was always facing the computer. But this kind of high-intensity mental work also consumes a lot of energy and physical strength. Eating is not only to supplement nutrition, but also a good pastime to change your mood.

After a while, dinner was over and the three of them put down their chopsticks almost at the same time.

Shen Lan stood up and cleared the dishes, saying, "Xu Zhe has taken care of me today, so I'll wash the dishes."

Zeng Jing was still very polite: "How can I do that? You are the guest, just put it down and leave it to me."

Shen Lan shook her head firmly: "No, no, no, Auntie, you've worked hard all day, take a good rest. Leave the dishes to me."

Then, the girl rushed to clean up the bowls and plates, took them to the kitchen, and turned on the faucet.

Shen Lan started washing the dishes.

Zeng Jing moved the stool, moved to her son's ear, and asked quietly: "What did this girl do in our house today?"

Xu Zhe: "Work with me."

"Keep your voice down," Zeng Jing glanced at the kitchen, "So when is she leaving tonight? Are you going to see her off?"

Xu Zhe: "Maybe in a while. After washing the dishes, we should work for a while longer. But she may leave early, as it will be dark soon."

Zeng Jing asked again: "Do you want to send her home?"

Xu Zhe: “It should be sent.”

Zeng Jing: "I'll go with you?"

Xu Zhe was a little confused: "Why? Are you worried that I'm in love too early?"

Zeng Jing: "I'm not worried about you falling in love too early, I'm worried that you're too young and lack experience..."

Xu Zhe sneered and said, "I don't fall in love early, so how can I have any problem with whether I have enough experience or not?"

Zeng Jing shook her head and said with the tone of an experienced person: "How can a boy who is full of blood and vigor be so determined?"

Xu Zhe: "This only shows that you don't understand me."

Zeng Jing: "It just means you don't understand love."

Xu Zhe: "..."

----

162. Chapter 162 161 If there was no him in this world

162.

2023-09-22

After dinner, Shen Lan stayed in the study for less than an hour. Before Xu Guowei returned from his social event, she finished her work for the day and left Xu Zhe's house.

Of course, I went with Xu Zhe.

The girl tried her best to convince herself not to care about Aunt Zeng Jing's gaze and to focus her attention on the boy next to her.

Under the street lights, the two people's figures were stretched out.

Shen Lan suddenly said, "I noticed after not seeing you for four months that you've grown taller again. It's very obvious."

Xu Zhe: "That's good. I should be able to be over 1.7 meters tall in the third year of junior high school."

"He's as tall as me now. It won't be long before he's taller than me. What a pity."

Although she said "What a pity", the smile on the girl's face clearly meant something else.

Xu Zhe analyzed seriously: "I now ensure the quality and duration of my sleep every day, eat a nutritious diet, and do a lot of outdoor exercise every week. If I still don't grow taller under such circumstances, it would be too unfair."

Shen Lan: "So how tall do you think it should be in the future?"

Xu Zhe: "Whatever. It's not up to you to decide. If you ask me, I'll be more confident if I have a few more digits in my bank account."

Shen Lan: "So, how many digits are in the bank account?"

Xu Zhe wanted to say at least nine figures, after all, a small goal was nine figures. But the words went around his lips and he swallowed them back.

He shook his head: "There's really nothing much to say about this. Money is just a by-product. The key is to create something."

Shen Lan smiled and asked, "Is this your outlook on life?"

Xu Zhe: "Yes, we can't come to this world in vain."

Under the street light, Shen Lan stared at the boy's profile and said softly, "I think so too."

----

After being sent home by Xu Zhe, Shen Lan went to bed.

Perhaps it was because today was particularly fulfilling and tiring, or perhaps it was because of the complex emotions of joy and worry that made her have a different dream.

There was no Xu Zhe in this dream.

Shen Lan also experienced the incident of having her money stolen from her billiard hall. Without the protection of the boy, she was hit by a stick. The injury was not serious, but the experience left a psychological shadow, causing her to perform poorly in subsequent math competitions.

Of course, even if she didn’t perform well in the competition, her excellent results in the high school entrance examination allowed her to enter the provincial key high school, which is the experimental high school.

In high school, she stopped participating in competitions. Although she gradually lost her ambition to look down on her peers, her extraordinary intelligence was still there, and she was at least one of the top students in a key high school. After taking the college entrance examination, she was admitted to a pretty good key university.

Major in clinical medicine.

Others had an easier time in college, but Shen Lan and her classmates in the same major only felt that life was even harder. Moreover, during the five years of depressing undergraduate studies, she gradually realized that if she didn't want to lose all her previous efforts and really wanted to become a doctor, then a bachelor's degree alone was not enough.

She studied for a master's degree, then a doctorate... The long and lonely road to study made her already cold personality even colder and more lonely.

When the journey of studying finally comes to an end and you enter the hospital with impressive academic qualifications, the hardships do not end, but rather begin another journey.

The seniors who are twenty years older live an enviable life, not only having a decent status but also a generous income.

But young doctors like Shen Lan are completely different. Starting from regular training, the meager income, long-term overtime, and irregular life and work schedule often make her feel that she is less healthy than the patients who come to see her.

She often doubted her life choices, but there was one thing she had long been convinced of.

That means I'm afraid I'll die alone.

Although she had dark circles under her eyes and was losing her hair, Shen Lan's appearance was still eye-catching among female doctors. But after she turned thirty, she could no longer tolerate mediocre social interactions and meaningless nonsense. However, she found that almost every conversation started and ended with nonsense, which made her very impatient.

She was also asked to go on blind dates by her elders and friends, but no one could get her on a second date.

Life became extremely boring, monotonous and tedious... Fortunately, she could still find a little fun in her work, but only a little.

There was no end in sight for this kind of life. When her heart was sealed in cement, Shen Lan woke up from her dream.

In the lonely dark night, she sat up, gasping for breath.

I was in a daze for a while before I remembered who I was.

Shen Lan quickly got out of bed, ran to the bathroom, turned on the light, and faced the mirror.

In the mirror was a young girl with short hair. Although I was a little shortsighted and everything in my field of vision was a little blurry, I could see the face in the mirror clearly only if I got closer. It was delicate and had the youthfulness of a 16 or 17-year-old. Time had not yet left any traces on it, and there were still endless possibilities.

"Huh...why did I have a dream like that?"

Shen Lan muttered to herself.

Looking back now, this dream didn't seem to last too long, but it spanned a long period of time. In the dream, she didn't really go through those exams and the long study process, but just flashed through many fragments, and each fragment contained similar emotions.

Depressed, tired, lonely and boring.

In her dream, she seemed to have doubted whether the major she was studying was really suitable for her. After all, she had never had the ambition to cure diseases and save lives since she was a child. She just listened to the teacher's instructions and read the application guide. Everyone seemed to say that studying medicine was good, doctors had a high status, there were professional barriers, and a stable job...

But it may not be suitable for you.

Everyone has different personalities, interests, and talents, so the paths that suit them are different. In youth, it is not enough to just think about getting better grades than others. You should also think about what kind of life you want to choose.

Shen Lan suddenly felt very lucky that she had met that person and that he had brought her into the world of programming. Instead of figuring out where to cut with the scalpel, she felt that building logic with code was more suitable for her.

What's more, if I have that person, my future won't be so boring and lonely...

Shen Lan quickly returned to the bedroom, sat down beside the bed, and picked up her cell phone.

She suddenly wanted to make a phone call, as if only by hearing that person's voice could she prove that she had really escaped from that long and lonely dream and could hold on to a colorful life again.

So she dialed the number.

After waiting for nearly half a minute, the other party finally answered the call.